Closure for jars



Oct. 4, 1949. G. H WPRTl A 2,483,586

CLOSURE FOR JARS Filed oml 22. 1947 Patented Oct. 4, 1949 UNITED OF FICE,

cLosUR'E Fon innsl 1 Gregory H: Limperf, viteanaNz-J; App1icatitn-`ocfoterza 194%; semina 781,284

Myf object is -to-providean article which will fit any standard sized jar. inasmuch as it is intended to take the place of the caps which come withtheijars=whentheya1enewf The kind of jars I refer to, are' principally those Whichare` commonly used-for` keeping food products in air-tight condition till Vthey are openedlfor use. If the entire contents of a jar were tobe` usedatonce when the-*jar isV opened, my device would notrbeneededi Butl it. often happens that only-apart-d of:l the contents of a jar" are desired for immediate-use; andl sometimesonly a smalll part.- -Hence;lmy object. i's' to provide ay closure designedtotake the place of the' originalljarcap when it is'desired to remove only a portion-of thecontent'siof the jar' therefrom at any given time, leaving the remainder protected in the jar for future use.

To this end, I provide -my closure with a hinged lid for giving quick and easy access to the contents of the jar.

The lid is also provided at its forward edge with a suitable opening for the reception of the stem of a spoon, so that the spoon used for removing the contents of the jar therefrom, may be left in the jar: means being also provided for completely closing the spoon-opening to prevent passage therethrough of insects or the like, regardless of variations in the size or cross-sectional shape of the stem of the spoon.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of the upper portion of a bottle or jar provided with my improvement.

Fig. 2 is a similar view illustrating the method of completely closing the spoon recess in the lid of the device.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of my device, with the hinged lid thrown open; and

Fig. 4 is a similar View, showing the lid closed, and the upward portion of a spoon projecting outwardly through the opening therefor in the edge of the lid; and also the wick for wrapping the handle of the spoon at the point of its emergence from the lid.

Referring further to the drawings, the numeral I indicates the circular band portion of my device, which part is of ordinary and well-known construction adapted to screw onto the top of the jars with which it is to be used.

The band I is closed on its top side with two preferably at portions 2 and 3, the portion 2 being rigidly secured thereto, and the portion 3 1 clams- (ol. 21e-,443):

formingthe' lidVV proper of the device, and connetted tothe fixed? part 2i; by the hinge connecf tion-1t;

Ilielid portion S'liasat its forward edge aflug 5 which projects outwardly slightly beyond thev convenientlyt-pped upwardly bythe nger of the' operation; -andsecondl-y, itcontati-isa smallopenor-'boreva-'beyond the diameter of' the' main bandff i, forrthereception ofi the flexible cord or wick= 64; inlsueh al way that-the `-k'n'ot- 6a on the end of" the-sordi cannot-in any `way prevent the lid 3? from. resting in- 'at engagement with the ii'iturnedto'p portion -4 a "of the band I i This iritnrned-edge-po'rtion la off the main band l of the device may be provided, if desired, with a cut-out section lab, arranged when the lid is closed, to register with the cut-out portion 3a in the forward edge of the lid, where the handle of the spoon 'I projects out through the closure, when it is desired to leave the spoon in the jar.

The cord 6 of my device is preferably formed of loosely-twisted fibrous material, such, for instance, as was used for candle wicks in the pioneer days. '.Ihe operation of my device is so simple that 1t 1s only necessary for me to say that when a jar of fruit that has been sealed up airtight is opened for use, the top is removed from the jar and my closure substituted for it.

The lid 3 gives quick and easy access to the r contents of the jar whenever it is desired to take a portion of the same out of the jar. And when it is desired to nave the spoon in the jar, the wick S is wrapped around the spoon handle at the point where it projects up through the opening therefor at the fro-nt edge of the lid.

In this way the opening in the lid around the spoon handle is entirely closed to prevent the entrance therethrough of flies and insects of every sort.

If the spoon when left in the jar, is slightly elevated above the point to which it would naturally sink by gravity, and the string is wrapped a little tightly, or is in the start, tied around the spoon handle previously to the wrapping process, then the weight of the spoon will be utilized to press the encircling wick portion into the spoonopening of the lid. This will insure the continuous closure of the jar against the entrance of insects, but will not interfere with the instantaneous opening of the jar lid when it is desired to open it. In fact, by this means, the string may be easily employed to hold the spoon up in the jar out of contact with the contents of the jar, if that is desired.

Without tying the string around the spoon handle, as above suggested, and simply Wrapping it a little tightly, the wrapped portion of the string may be pressed into the opening somewhat like a plastic cork and YWhile thus pressed, the spoon may be elevated to any desired point in the jar, and the frictional contact of the string with the handle of the spoon, will hold the spoon Wherever it is thus positioned.

Special importance attaches to the fact my device does not require the use of spoons or ladies having stems of a diierent size or cross-sectional shape, in order to effect a perfect closure against the entrance of the smallest insects into the jar through the spoon-opening. This is a matter of great importance in the sale and introduction of the device, since, in its manufacture and use, much liberty maybe exercised in regard to the relative sizes of said spoon stems and the openings through Which they extend into the jars; so that special spoons would not have to be purchased for use with the device.

Having described my invention, what I claim is:

A supplemental closure for fruit jars comprising a circular band portion adapted for screwengagement with the top of a standard jar, said screw-band having an inturned iiange around its upper end; a top for the cap adapted to rest in iiat engagement with the upper side of said inturned band, said cap being divided into two sections hinged together, one of said sections being rigidly secured to the top of the inturned band section, and the other section hinged thereto 4 forming a lid for opening and closing the jar, the free outer edge of said lid portion and the inner edge of said inturned flange portion having semicircular cutaway portions adapted to register with each other when the lid is in its closed position, whereby to form a two-part opening adapted to snugly receive the stem of a spoon, the lid of the closure at one side of said composite spoon opening having a narrow lug projecting outwardly slightly beyond the outer periphery of the jar top, this projecting lug having a string of soft iibrous material permanently secured thereto and depending therefrom in close proximity to the jar in constant readiness for immediate use when needed, said string being designed to be firmly and evenly wrapped around the stem `of the lspoon in immediate contact with the upper surface'of the lid at the point of the emergence of the stem of the spoon from the spoon-opening in the lid.

GREGORY H. LIMPERT.

luiiilamtivclis CITED The following 4references are of record in the le of this patent:

UN'ITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 259,740 Ams June 20, 1882 327,635 Wolff Oct. 6, 1885 376,397 Rowland Jan. 10, 1888 651,460 Higgins June 12, 1900 709,390 Booth4 Sept. V16, 1902 710,347 Tyson Sept. 30, 1902 817,572 Johnson Apr. 10, 1906 1,079,942 Langan Dec. 2, 1913 

